Powering the Low-Carbon Economy: The Once and Future Roles of Renewable Energy and Natural Gas

Book excerpt: Natural gas provides a natural complement to variable renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. It is the cleanest fossil fuel, emitting less than half the carbon dioxide and a fraction of the smog-forming pollutants that coal power plants do. Moreover, it can be used in a variety of efficient, flexible, and scalable generating technologies, enabling it to back up wind and solar generation on a range of time and geographic scales. If new supplies can be produced responsibly, natural gas can deliver immediate reductions in carbon emissions from the power sector. Methane, the main component of natural gas, already is being captured from landfills and other renewable sources, which can contribute a growing share of natural gas supplies in the decades ahead. As renewable energy and natural gas become more economical, their share in global power generation markets is increasing at the expense of coal. Working together, renewable energy and natural gas can facilitate a rapid decarbonization of the power sector and provide the foundation for a low-carbon energy future, starting now. -- from back cover.